First BP/W for me.

[Divectionist]

Not sure why it is not a popular choice on the forums, but I would repurchase my Scubapro X-Tek bp/w in a heartbeat.

 

[jlcnuke]

Not sure why it is not a popular choice on the forums, but I would repurchase my Scubapro X-Tek bp/w in a heartbeat.

I think it's a price thing. A standard aluminum backplate, and a standard DIR harness are pretty much the same regardless of where you get them from, but the X-Tek branded ones will run you $156 for just the backplate (get the same piece of gear from DGX for half that price) and a harness will cost you $81 while you can pick up stuff from the other guys (deep 6 etc) for closer to $55. 30 lb wing for $371 or 30 lb wing for $200? Now sure, a person could argue about relative quality of the wings maybe, but a piece of the same billet aluminum with the same holes/slots in it in the same places really has no good way of justifying the extra cost outside of "well, it's got Scubapro on the shipping label".

 

[rongoodman]

As I recall, the Scubapro wing uses non-standard fittings, but I don't have time to dig into it right now.

 

[Divectionist]

It may be the usually wicked Australian pricing dynamics, but for my SS backplate, 30lbs wing and 'pure' hog harness setup with STA, storage pack, double cams and weight pockets, shipping pre-assembled, the X-Tek ran only a bit more expensive than a HOG setup (which I believe is drastically cheaper in the US), and then again a couple hundred dollars cheaper than a Halcyon, the benefits of which were not apparent to me, so it was a 'middle choice' whilst being very attractive spec wise with a stronger outer material on the wing. You'd struggle to find the other alternatives stocked anywhere here.

The same rig will costs hundreds more than in the US to start with, but to be honest, I am not too bothered about a few hundred dollars here or there for a diving rig that will last for many years, and the X-Tek looked like a really well rounded and attractive system, compared to the, how can I say it, more 'rough around the edges' HOG that I heard had some quality issues and changed manufacturers a bunch of times. It just felt like the safer choice in terms of materials and finish, I suppose while I don't care what's written on the item, I do place some trust in certain brand names, which I do not deny. If there was no X-Tek ticking all the boxes, I would probably have gone to Halcyon just because it is well regarded.

Whilst a bp/w system is a straightforward collection of hardware with little intricacy (compare it to a reg!), there are differences in harness material (needs to be very stiff for my liking), backplate finishing (no sharp bits please), wing durability (the tougher the outer layer the better), and other bits like the inflator system, dumps, and quality of well-fitted accessories.

For anything diving, my approach would be to shop by quality and desire, rather than piece together the lowest cost combination. With all the expenses one has in life, if justifying money is an issue for those unfortunate enough not to dive a lot, skipping a bunch of restaurant dinners or whatever else, in my opinion, is well worth diving with the perfect setup for years and years.

 

[Zef]

It may be the usually wicked Australian pricing dynamics, but for my SS backplate, 30lbs wing and 'pure' hog harness setup with STA, storage pack, double cams and weight pockets, shipping pre-assembled, the X-Tek ran only a bit more expensive than a HOG setup (which I believe is drastically cheaper in the US), and then again a couple hundred dollars cheaper than a Halcyon, the benefits of which were not apparent to me, so it was a 'middle choice' whilst being very attractive spec wise with a stronger outer material on the wing. You'd struggle to find the other alternatives stocked anywhere here.

The same rig will costs hundreds more than in the US to start with, but to be honest, I am not too bothered about a few hundred dollars here or there for a diving rig that will last for many years, and the X-Tek looked like a really well rounded and attractive system, compared to the, how can I say it, more 'rough around the edges' HOG that I heard had some quality issues and changed manufacturers a bunch of times. It just felt like the safer choice in terms of materials and finish, I suppose while I don't care what's written on the item, I do place some trust in certain brand names, which I do not deny. If there was no X-Tek ticking all the boxes, I would probably have gone to Halcyon just because it is well regarded.

Whilst a bp/w system is a straightforward collection of hardware with little intricacy (compare it to a reg!), there are differences in harness material (needs to be very stiff for my liking), backplate finishing (no sharp bits please), wing durability (the tougher the outer layer the better), and other bits like the inflator system, dumps, and quality of well-fitted accessories.

For anything diving, my approach would be to shop by quality and desire, rather than piece together the lowest cost combination. With all the expenses one has in life, if justifying money is an issue for those unfortunate enough not to dive a lot, skipping a bunch of restaurant dinners or whatever else, in my opinion, is well worth diving with the perfect setup for years and years.

The only company that I have seen recently with stocking issues is Deep 6 but that is because their gear is good and the company provides good customer service so there gear is selling as fast or faster than they can stock it. I can also say that I have dealt with Edge-HOG, and they are really easy to get on the phone and they jumped all over and went way beyond my expectations warrantying a minor problem...they didn't just refer me back to the dealer I bought the item from. I was amazed at their responsiveness and am positive that it is a major contributor to their popularity. I am not so sure one would get the same level of responsiveness from Scubapro. Oh, and I have Dive Rite equipment too. You would be hard pressed to find a wing tougher than their XT with high dernier nylon bladder...But you really wouldn't have to because they warranty the shell and bladder for life....and they are easy to get a hold of via phone or email to answer questions or concerns about their products. I have never seen the same thing stated about Scubapro.

-Z

 

[ljpm]

Wings will be back in stock at end of the month. That is a definite. All the other pieces are presently in stock.

I would love to believe this. I've been waiting to purchase a bp/w setup since Oct. I've recently been kicking myself for not buying the DRIS package over the holidays when the wing was on sale.

 

[drk5036]

I would love to believe this. I've been waiting to purchase a bp/w setup since Oct. I've recently been kicking myself for not buying the DRIS package over the holidays when the wing was on sale.

you should just buy a VDH wing, they're arguably the best on the market and right now all in stock: Store | Vintage Double Hose

 

[Zef]

you should just buy a VDH wing, they're arguably the best on the market and right now all in stock: Store | Vintage Double Hose

They don't seem to have any packages listed and the backplate listed as "DIR Style" is out of stock. Also, there are no cam bands listed in the section titled "Cam bands, sliders, D-rings, webbing, keepers, extras".

-Z

 

[scrane]

I would piece together an outfit unless you can save on shipping or can find a package deal that actually saves you money over shopping around. Backplates and Harnesses are pretty generic so the only component that demands some thought is the wing,

 

[drk5036]

They don't seem to have any packages listed and the backplate listed as "DIR Style" is out of stock. Also, there are no cam bands listed in the section titled "Cam bands, sliders, D-rings, webbing, keepers, extras".

-Z

Yeah you don’t need to get everything from the same place. VDH makes the best wings. You can buy the backplate, harness package, cam bands, weight pockets, etc, from dive gear express. That’s what I did, exactly, and I’m really happy about my decision.